TRENTON – While summer seems to have finally arrived in the Downriver area, local high school ice hockey players are busy lacing up their skates for another season of summer league action.
The league – held at Kennedy Recreation Center – will feature several area teams competing in exhibition games from now until late July. Among the dozen squads participating are Dearborn Divine Child and Gibraltar Carlson, each of whom were in action for Monday’s slate.
The first matchup saw Carlson squaring off with Riverview Gabriel Richard off, followed by Divine Child taking on Wyandotte Roosevelt.
After winning their eighth consecutive regional title in March, Richard got their “offseason” underway with a dominating 9-0 performance over Carlson.
Meanwhile on the other side, naturally disappointed with the loss, Carlson coach Andy Watson hopes the night was just what his squad needs.
“We’ve got a lot of new faces and a lot of work to do with the young guys,” Watson said. “But we’re still waiting for some of our older kids to step up and that was apparent tonight. Hopefully this is a wake-up call for some of our returners and it was a good lesson for some of the young guys and our expectations.”
The summer league is a chance for the returning players to condition over the summer and continue to work on their skills, while allowing incoming freshmen or new-to-program players to test out the waters before the regular season starts in November.
Games are closely aligned with an official high school game, featuring three 15-minute periods as opposed to the typical 17-minute stanzas. It is a contrast from the two 22-minute halves teams played in the league last summer.
Carlson this past winter finished the year 12-11-2 with a notable big comeback win over Grosse Ile, a fairly close game with Trenton, and a tie with Divine Child.
Watson hopes the match up with Richard will help his team prepare for tough opponents in the regular high school season.
“GR had a great program and they field a great team every year,” he said. “It’s a good measuring stick for a lot of teams Downriver.”
While official tryouts are still months away, the Marauders are earning their spots on the roster now and Watson said that with young talent coming in, no spot is guaranteed – even to veteran players.
“Some of the returners need to step up and some of these younger guys have a chance to take that opportunity and run with it,” he said. “There’s a lot of good things and a lot of potential with the program- we just need the boys to step up and bring their game.”
The Dearborn Divine Child ice hockey team, red, outlasted Wyandotte Roosevelt by a final score of 5-4 in their first game of the annual summer league hosted by the Kennedy Recreation Center in Trenton on June 16, 2025. (SAMANTHA ELLIOTT — For MediaNews Group)
In the nightcap on Monday, after almost two periods of no scoring, there was an explosion of goals that eventually led to Divine Child hanging on for a 5-4 win over Roosevelt.
“It was just fun to get back out there,” Divine Child coach Mike McNamara said. “Trenton does such a good job with this league and the kids are excited about being together at the start of summer.”
Divine Child finished last season with a 16-7-2 record. The Falcons did only lose three seniors to graduation, but among those was three-time all-state honoree Braeden McNamara.
But the coaching staff isn’t worried.
“I know we have a good group coming in and I’m positive about it,” Mike McNamara said. “A couple players that I know of that are coming in, we’re excited for. It’ll be a good season.”
Overall, Divine Child will be young next winter with the majority of the roster yielding sophomores and juniors. Additionally, the Falcons will make the jump from the Metro League West Division to the conference’s more traditionally-tougher East Division.
The East features perennial state powers Detroit Country Day, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, and Jackson Lumen Christi, as well as Allen Park and aforementioned Carlson.
“We have pretty much a new schedule,” the elder McNamara said. “We play some of the same teams, but it’ll be a lot tougher this year, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
UP NEXT
Carlson and Divine Child, like most teams, will play 10 games throughout the duration of the summer league. Both will play their second exhibition matchup later this week on Thursday, June 19.
The Falcons are back on the ice when they take on Grosse Ile, while the Marauders will face off with New Boston Unified.
PHOTOS: Ice Hockey – Summer League at Kennedy Arena w/ Dearborn Divine Child and Gibraltar Carlson